A New Kind of AI Spots 90% of Online Abuse

Researchers at Yahoo (yes, for the moment, it’s still Yahoo) have unveiled an algorithm that uses machine learning and natural language processing to detect online abuse and hate speech. Abusive behavior online has been in the limelight lately, both because it’s so inherently vile, and because it could alienate users of platforms like Twitter TWTR and Yahoo YHOO , arguably threatening their bottom line, or even the entire digital economy. Most such platforms use a combination of user reporting, keyword filtering, and monitoring by legions of trained humans to detect and block trolls and harassers. But filters are easy to work around through creative spelling (the example “kill yrslef a$$hole” pops up early in the researchers’ report). Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter. Slurs and insults also shift rapidly, making…